RPT Secures Voter I.D. Pledges
Fifty-two of the seventy-six House Republicans signed a document prepared by the Republican Party of Texas (a link is on the Quorum Report) pledging to insist on the inclusion of four core principles in a Voter I.D. bill. These principles are:
1. Ensure a valid photo identification is needed to vote
2. Take effect at the next possible uniform election date
3. Be free of any registration requirements such as same day voter registration that dilutes the intent of the bill, which is ensuring fair and accurate elections.
4. Increase criminal penalties for voter fraud and registration
This list makes any compromise extremely unlikely, not that there was much reason to hope for one, and all but ensures that Voter I.D. will be as acrimonious in the House as it was in the Senate.
Here is the list of Republicans who had not signed as of yesterday. I have updated the list to include members who have signed since I posted this list. Thanks to the RPT’s Eric Opiela for the update. It is believed that Corte has likewise signed, but this is unofficial.
Bohac (signed)
Bonnen
Branch
Cook
Corte
Darby
Eissler (signed)
Hamilton
Hardcastle
Hilderbran (signed)
Howard
Jones
Keffer
S King (signed)
Kolkhorst
Kuempel
McCall
Merritt
S Miller
Patrick
Paxton (signed)
T Smith
Smithee
Straus
Tagged: house republicans, republican party of texas, voter ID.
Eric Opiela says:
Bohac, Eissler, Hilderbran, Susan King, and Paxton should be removed from your list since they have signed on since the press release went out yesterday. I believe Corte has as well, but the Caucus is waiting on confirmation. A revised list will be sent to press shortly. This will bring the total to 57.
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Tellnitlikeitis says:
So long as the focus remains on making voting harder, there will not be a bill.
There’s nothing wrong with making voting more secure – and easier. But making voting more secure – and harder will not get a House majority needed for passage.
We don’t have a problem with too many people voting; we have a problem with not enough people voting.
Participation in democracy is something you inherit at birth. You don’t have to pay your way or earn your way into the voting booth.
Make voting easier – and bring ID…
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Eric Opiela says:
Second update: Corte, Charlie Howard, Brian McCall, Dan Branch and John Smithee have signed on to the Caucus Statement of Principles. We now have 61 signators and growing.
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Killer D says:
“Be free of any registration requirements such as same day voter registration that dilutes the intent of the bill, which is ensuring fair and accurate elections.”
I laughed.
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eam says:
Sen. Olympia Snowe wrote an excellent op-ed today describing what’s fundamentally wrong with the Republican Party. Bills like this are a case in point. If there’s a future for the party in Texas, this is the list (latter signatories excluded).
Killer D @ 6 pm – I laughed, I cried, then threw up a little in my mouth.
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Eric Opiela says:
While “Killer D” and “eam” were laughing, crying and throwing up, the remaining Republican Caucus members (with the exception of Todd Smith, Delwin Jones, Tommy Merritt; with Bonnen and Straus given a walk) signed on to an effective Voter ID bill. There is a future for the Party in Texas–and it’s written by the 71 (73) Republican Caucus members that stood with the people of Texas–both Democrats and Republicans in supporting fair and accurate elections.
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Tellnitlikeitis Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Eric…this is an issue that plays with a large majority of the 600,000 to 800,000 folks who participate in the GOP primary.
The other 23 million Texans have many more pressing issues and concerns.
And a lot of independents, such as myself, are watching to see how GOPers handle this phony issue.
If GOPers are truly concerned about ballot security, they will agree to make voting easier while getting voter ID.
If not, the rest of us will know that this is more about voter supression than anything else.
GOPers need to grow the party – not shrink their prospects.
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eam says:
Eric … straw men are standard fare for the sake of political argument, but the point at which you fall for your own fabrication — that anyone would want an unfair and inaccurate election — you’ve also fallen into delusion.
If what you say is so — that this bill forwards democracy — I would expect to see an extensive provision on mail-in ballot fraud (the ONLY type of voter fraud that is actually an issue). I would also expect to see election day voter registration, something other states have had for a long time.
And finally, it must have a FREE ID provision — otherwise the ID requirement would function as a de facto poll tax, creating yet another financial obstacle to American citizens exercising a fundamental American right. I mean, we ALL are patriots, right? Or is the right to vote more sacrosanct for some American citizens more than others? Perhaps based on party and ideology?
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Anonymous says:
“Or is the right to vote more sacrosanct for some American citizens more than others? Perhaps based on party and ideology?”
If such a bill were to pass, EAM, for whom do you suppose the right to vote would be less “sacrosanct”? You act as if asking someone to present an ID at the voting booth is like asking someone to solve the Rubick’s cube. I suggest you read the U.S Supreme Court’s Voter ID case in the state of Indiana where such facile arguments as yours were found wanting and a MORE restrictive voting ID law than the one propsoed here in Texas was affirmed.
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Tellnitlikeitis Reply:
April 29th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Anon at 10:55….
My mother in law has lived with us for about 3 years old. She is nearly 90.
She gave up her driver’s license a decade ago. She has no utility bills/records in her name because she lives with us.
She still works cross-word puzzles and such but is somewhat frail on the physical side.
The Indiana case is not the best example as that state is not covered by sections 2 and 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
My mother-in-law has earned her right to vote just as much as you or anyone else.
To make it harder for her to vote after all these decades is really quite pathetic.
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eam says:
Anon 10:53: State law already requires a photo ID, in lieu of a voter registration card. You can’t vote without one or the other. If you’re aware of some black market in fake voter registration cards, by all means please make it public.
The Supremes also affirmed mid-decade redistricting — another entirely political idea born of poor judgment. Most folks learned in grade school: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
The extent to which Senate and House Republicans have gone to prop up this non-issue is a disgrace to the real issues facing the good people of our state.
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Texas Democrat says:
I always bring my ID to vote during statewide and presidential elections, but I have a problem when Dewhurst is shoving this thing to make it harder for minorities and the eldery to vote.
If I last checked, Texas is 48 percent Anglo and falling very fast, (what Gen. Colin Powell said about the GOP alienating minorities nationally), the minorities are going to be the majority in a few years.
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